Ways to Improve Basketball Handling Skills

As flashy as the dunk is, or as exciting as a three-point shot can be, the most fundamentally important factor in basketball is your handling of the ball. Whether you’re just starting out or a veteran of the game, you should always be looking for ways to improve basketball handling skills. Being able to dribble the ball up court, pass it off to your teammates and receive it again is the minimum that will be expected of you as a player. There are a number of tasks you can complete in order to become adept at these seemingly simple tasks.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

• It may not be the quickest method but the most effective way to improve basketball handling skills is through practice. Lots of practice. Whilst drills exist that proclaim to be able to help you in mere minutes, there really is no substitute for time spent training. Familiarise yourself with how the basketball feels in your hands when you hold, dribble, and pass it. Set yourself drill patterns that improve basketball handling skills. These can range from the relatively simple (standing still dribbling a ball for as long as you can) to something quite difficult (dribbling a figure-of-eight through your legs). Don’t just use one basketball either. Try dribbling two balls, one in each hand, or swap to a soccer or tennis ball. The varying sizes will make you more adaptable. The best thing about handling skills is that you can practice practically anywhere.

Play with others

• Practicing alone will only get you so far. A big part of learning to improve basketball handling skills lies within the ability to adapt your game to that of other players. You need to not only learn how to dribble around opposition, but also how to pass to teammates. Simple passing drills can include two or more players. Start by practicing stationary chest, bounce, and lob passes before moving on to passing in motion. Again, organising a set drill pattern will help immensely. Be sure to watch how other players handle the basketball. Watching and learning from others is an effective method to improve basketball handling skills. Whether you watch teammates or players on television, you can learn a lot from how different people play. Finally, spend some quality time with coaches, whom will be able to advise of subtle improvements you can make.